Trolley car segregation

Date and country of first publication

1969
United States

Definition

Trolley car segregation refers to the practice of segregating passengers based on race or ethnicity on trolley cars during the era of racial segregation in the United States.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, racial segregation was widespread, particularly in the Southern states. Many public transportation systems, including trolley cars, enforced strict racial segregation policies. African Americans were often required to sit in separate, usually inferior, sections of the trolley cars compared to white passengers.

These segregation policies were part of the larger Jim Crow laws and were enforced by both state and local governments. They aimed to maintain white dominance and control over African Americans by limiting their access to public facilities and services. Trolley car segregation was one of the many ways in which racial discrimination and inequality were enforced during this period.

The segregation policies on trolley cars sparked protests and resistance from the African American community. Several legal challenges were made, and in some instances, the Supreme Court ruled against the discriminatory practices. However, many segregation laws remained in effect until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, when activists fought to end racial segregation and discrimination in all aspects of society.

Trolley car segregation is now widely regarded as a symbol of the racial injustice and inequality that existed during the era of racial segregation in the United States. The struggle against these discriminatory practices played a significant role in shaping the civil rights movement and the ongoing fight for racial equality.

Trolley car segregation appears in the following literature

Meier A., Rudwick E. (1969). The boycott movement against jim crow streetcars in the south 1900 1906. Journal of American History, 55(4), 756-775. https://doi.org/10.2307/1900151